10/05 Rick Geary signing @ Bridge City Comics

Portland, OR Comics Store Bridge City Comics will have Rick Geary appear Wed. Oct. 5th from 6 to 8PM signing all his Treasury of Murder books as well as others.

Rick does few appearances outside of APE which he’ll be at and San Diego, so Portlanders! Here’s your chance to meet him!

Ron Randall's Trekker has been released on the web

Ron Randall has been an illustrator and storyteller for over 20 years.   He has worked for most major publishers Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, Virgin, and Image Comics, and many others.

In 1986 Dark Horse came to Ron Randall to create his own series.   He set out to create a strong, compelling female lead, a sci-fi setting that would blend the romance of Flash Gordon with the grit of BladeRunner.   This became Trekker.   It is about Mercy St. Clair bounty hunter living in the violent future of 2226.

Ron has decided to continue the adventures of Mercy St. Clair.   He will start with reprints and then the new stories.   These will be open and fully accessible to readers at www.trekkercomic.com beginning on Monday, September 26.

Ron’s webpage is at ronrandall.com.

 ===PRESS RELEASE===

 Trekkercomic.Com Launches With The Return of Ron Randall’s Classic Sci-Fi Adventure Strip “TREKKER”

PORTLAND, Oregon--This Monday, September 26, 2011 marks the launch of www.trekkercomic.com, a new site which will feature weekly postings from the pages of Ron Randall’s classic, acclaimed sci-fi comic Trekker. 

Randall, who is both writer and artist for the series, first created Trekker and its protagonist, Mercy St.Clair, for Dark Horse Comics during the rise of the independent publishing. Now he will also assume web publishing duties, beginning with the 8-page chapter that first introduced Trekker to the comics world.

Each Monday will mark the posting of an installment from the Trekker archives, in chronological order of their original publication. Once all existing stories have posted, Randall will go on to post completely new, ongoing Trekker tales chronicling the life and times of Mercy St. Clair.

Trekker first came on the scene in 1986, when Dark Horse approached Randall to create a new series for their catalogue. He was given complete creative freedom to determine the content and look of the series, as well as full ownership of the property. “It was virtually an unheard-of opportunity at the time, and, of course, I could not resist,”says Randall. He went about putting together the visual and story elements that most appealed to him, and Trekker was born. Randall has since enjoyed a long and diverse career, but he notes that “Trekker has always inspired the very best of my efforts, and to this day it remains the most personal work I’ve produced.”

Trekker is the story of Mercy Ct. Clair, a brash, extraordinarily gifted young female bounty hunter living in the violent future of 2226. The strip follows Mercy’s life and personal “arc” as she pursues the hardened criminals that operate beyond the reach of an over-taxed law force. The existing stories open on the gritty, crumbling streets of New Gelaph, and gradually follow Mercy as she pursues the criminal element into the ruined lands beyond city lines.  Ultimately Mercy’s journey will lead her out into the stars, where a restless humanity is striving for new hope. Randall hints that it’s on this grand stage that Mercy will discover her own surprising destiny.

Until recently, the existing Trekker stories have only been fitfully collected for print—short stories in Dark Horse Presents, the original Dark Horse series, and in various “Special” single issues, and for years fans have clamored for a complete, accessible collection of Mercy’s adventures. Trekkercomic.com aims to be exactly that definitive repository. Luckily for fans, Randall  “clung faithfully onto every page of the original Trekker stories,” and so www.trekkercomic.com will feature fully-restored, high-quality images of the entire series.  

Stories that originally appeared in black and white will remain faithful to the original, but later color stories will be completely re-colored to take advantage of recent refinements in digital coloring technique. 

The site will also contain an exclusive “making of” image gallery containing never-before-seen Trekker-related designs, sketches and drawings. 

Randall reports that every convention has brought questions from fans eager for the return of Trekker. His standard reply was that he had the entire series planned, and was only waiting for the appropriate venue to come along. He notes that “with www.trekkercomic.com, it’s finally the right time.”

The continuing adventures of Mercy St. Clair will be open and fully accessible to readers at www.trekkercomic.com beginning on Monday, September 26.

10/05 - Angel Punk @ TFAW

Press Release from TFAW

 

ANGEL PUNK #1 RELEASE PARTY AT TFAW: WIN A ROLE AS A FEATURED EXTRA IN A PORTLAND FILM
What: Angel Punk #1 Release Party with Devon Lyon, Kevin Curry, Val Mayerik, and Tom Orzechowski
Where: Hollywood TFAW - 4133 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97214
When: Wednesday, October 5 from 7- 10 pm.

September 20, 2011, Portland OR--Things From Another World (TFAW) is happy to announce a signing and release party for Angel Punk #1 from local publisher Relium Media on Wednesday, October 5 at their Portland, OR store from 7-10 pm! Enjoy complimentary food and beer (with valid ID), meet creators Devon Lyon, Kevin Curry, Val Mayerik, and Tom Orzechowski, and enter to win a special Angel Punk prize package or a role as a featured extra in the upcoming Angel Punk movie, to be filmed in Portland.
 

The Angel Punk saga follows Mara Layil on a journey of discovery, as she’s thrust into a millennia-old struggle between supernatural dynasties. This hidden world of ancient wonders and dark secrets forces the orphaned teen to accept her own power and confront her family’s mysterious past. Angel Punk is written by Devon Lyon, Kevin Curry, and Scott Nelson, with art by Val Mayerik, the co-creator of Howard the Duck, and lettering by industry legend Tom Orzechowski. "The Angel Punk series is a lot of fun, and so are the creators behind it," said TFAW Marketing Manager Elisabeth Forsythe. "We're looking forward to a great event with a cool local publisher."  Plus: all attendees of the Angel Punk Release Party will receive raffle tickets that will enter them in a contest to win a role as a featured extra in the upcoming Angel Punk movie, which will be filmed in Portland January 16 through March 2, or win an Angel Punk prize package filled with a t-shirt, posters, and an autographed set of Angel Punk issues #0, #1/2, and #1.

About Things From Another World:
Founded in 1979, Things From Another World is the premier retailer of comic books, toys, collectibles, and pop-culture geek goodness, both in Portland, Oregon and online at http://www.TFAW.com.

About Relium Media

Relium Media tells big stories across multiple platforms. Angel Punk is told over four distinct mediums: comics; a novel; a feature film; and the fan-engagement website www.AngelPunk.co. Learn more at http://www.ReliumMedia.com

09/30 - Spell Checkers Vol. 2 Release Party @ Bridge City Comics

Press Release from BRIDGE CITY COMICS   

BRIDGE CITY COMICS is proud to present Spell Checkers Vol. 2 Release Party with Jaime Rich, Joelle Jones and Nico Hitori De 

WHAT: Spell Checkers Vol. 2 Release Party with Jaime Rich, Joelle Jones and Nico Hitori De

WHEN: Friday, September 30 from 6pm - 8pm

WHERE: 3725 N. Mississippi Ave.

Bridge City Comics is proud to announce our Spell Checkers Vol. 2 Release Party on Friday, September 30, 2011 from 6pm - 8pm! This event is free to the public.

In attendance will be the creative team of Portland locals Jamie Rich, Joelle Jones and Nico Hitori De! They will be signing copies of Spell Checkers Vol. 2 but sketches will be left to the discretion of the artists. Come join us for a night of fun, comics, try to stump Jamie Rich at 80's music trivia!

Bridge City Comics will have copies of Spell Checkers Vol. 2 on hand for purchase during the event, as well as a copies of Spell Checkers Vol. 1 and assorted other titles from the creative team.

Bridge City Comics is located at 3725 N. Mississippi Ave in North Portland. Please call 503-282-5484 or e-mail info@bridgecitycomics.com for more information.

About Spell Checkers Vol. 2: There are two new kids at school. Twin brothers--one straight-laced and buttoned-up, the other a rebel in a leather jacket--and they've transferred in with trouble for the Spell Checkers. Jesse finds romance, but for Cynthia, it's rivalry. She and the good brother compete for student body president, while Kimmie tries to find out who murdered the last one. Dark magic is afoot, as well as dark humor, in the second mystical volume of Oni's latest hit series.

08-09 Wordstock @ Oregon Convention

Date: October 8th and 9th
Location: Oregon Convention
                 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.

Wordstock is dedicated to celebrating writing in the community and writing in the classroom. It stages the city of Portland's annual book and literary festival, the largest celebration of books and writers in the Northwest. Wordstock 2011 will be held October 8th and 9th at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The Wordstock Book Fair will feature over 200 writers and over 20 panels on several stages over two days with hundreds of exhibits, food, performances and more.

This is the schedule 

Wordstock, through its Wordstock for Teachers program, also works to improve the writing/literacy skills of elementary and middle school students by raising the standard of writing instruction. Since 1997, over 1,300 teachers have participated in our program, benefitting tens of thousands of students in Oregon, Washington, and Califorrnia.

Portland Questions 43- Shannon Wheeler

Art By Paul Guinan

Shannon Wheeler was born August 13, 1966 and grew up in Berkeley, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in architecture in 1989.  He started cartooning while at UCBerkeley publishing his daily cartoons "Calaboose" and then "Tooth and Justice" in The Daily Californian. He later moved to Austin, Texas, whose cafe culture originated the creation of Too Much Coffee Man, becoming a weekly comic strip in 1990, eventually winning Wheeler an Eisner Award.

Wheeler continued to use this character in self-published zines, comic books, magazines and webcomics for a number of years, culminating in 2006 with the Too Much Coffee Man Opera  and followed by Too Much Coffee Man Opera, The Refill (in two acts) in 2008.   From 2004 until 2008, Shannon contributed to many of the Idiot's Guide books. Shannon's weekly strip Postage Stamp Funnies appeared in the The Onion newspaper until 2009, when he began contributing to The New Yorker magazine.  In 2010, Wheeler published a collection of his cartoons rejected by The New Yorker called I Thought You Would Be Funnier, which won the 2011 Will Eisner Comics Industry Award for Best Humor Publication.

He is having a One man show at PCPA on first Thursday Oct 6,2011.  At PCPA, 111 SW Broadway, Portland Oregon

He posts a new cartoon every day to his blog at www.tmcm.com.

Doug Dorr:   What projects are you working on currently?

Shannon Wheeler:   Right now I'm preparing for my one-man show that opens at the PCPA on Oct 6th. I'm also working on a new Too Much Coffee Man story for Dark Horse Presents and something for the CBLDF. It's a busy month.

DD:   What is your artistic Process?

A lot of over-thinking. It's best when I space out and stories unfold in front of me. I like it when my brain just starts coughing up ideas and images and I transcribe them. I have to be in a good mental place for that - balanced and relaxed. Something I have to force it - and write/draw even when I don't feel like it. Not as much fun. I do a lot of revision - look at every line and ask myself if it's needed.

DD:   As the artist what is your interactions with the writer?

Working with Steve was great. He has so much knowledge about comics that he knew exactly what he wanted. I had ideas for images and dialog but his script was so rich and complete that much of the time I was just complimenting something already realized.

Simon had the script and we'd get together over the roughs and brainstorm extra ideas. Like when the kids were using a candle to wake up their grandpa (who, at this point, is dressed as a Nazi), at first it was a normal candle, then a roman candle, but making it a Chanukah candle was real inspiration. That came from us cranked on coffee just riffing ideas and making each other laugh.

DD:   What Comic/ Trade/Book would you recommend?

Some of the under exposed books; Cowboy Wally, Freak Brothers, anything by Joe Sacco (not under rated, but great stuff), War is Boring, anything by Ted Rall... it's a golden age of books right now. Surprisingly, I like the new Planet of the Apes books from BOOM!.

DD:   What Comic/ Trade/Book would you recommend to someone new to comics?

Comics cover such a wide range of genre that I'd tailor it to the audience. Watchmen is so dependent on comic history I'd be more hesitant to give it to someone. Essex County has a gentle story telling that's a nice intro. Walking Dead is great horror. Too Much Coffee Man - of course.

DD:   What skill would you like to learn?

I'd love to play more music. I play guitar but I'm terrible. I love it - but I suck.

DD:   What's the most important thing you've learned?

Don't be afraid to work hard. Redraw pages until they're right. I'm redrawing 100 comics for my art show. I want the paper to match.

DD:   Do you have a collection?   If so, what is one of the items you're most proud of?

I have weird collections. I love 1950 novelty playing cards - especially the dirty ones.

DD:   What is your favorite genre of Comics?

Ones that are well done. I like the straight forward story of Y the Last Man but Chris Ware pushes the medium.

Some of my favorite stuff are the old comics that Sunday Press is putting out; Krazy Kat, Little Nemo, Gasoline Alley... very inspirational to read.

DD:   Do you have an Ipad?   If so what do use it for the most.

Not yet... I'm dying to get one. I want to read Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America. Seems like an Ipad is the way to go for long runs of comics. I can't afford graphic novels any more and I'm not on Marvel's Comp list.

DD:   What is your favorite TV show/ movie?

Raising Arizona, Tampopo, the Wire, Breaking Bad, Rome, Boogie Nights, anything by Herzog...

DD:   How does the Portland comics culture shapes your work?

It makes me feel like drawing comics is normal.

DD:   Do you go to comics conventions. if so what was your first convention?

Larry Langford used to put on the Dallas Fantasy Fair and he'd give a bunch of us loser comic people a hotel room and a table - which is one of the most generous encouraging things any promoter has ever done. My friends and I would go every year. It was a blast.

I usually hit San Diego, APE, Wordstock and Stumptown. Baltimore had me out this year and I had a blast (great show!). I'd like to do more East Coast shows but I can't afford to fly out so I'd have to be a guest.

DD:   If you weren’t doing comics what would you do?

Film. Maybe animation.

DD:   Do you have a favorite restaurant that you would recommend?

Portland has become a food haven. I'm loving a sandwich shop on Hawthorne - I think it's East Side Deli...

DD:   How long have you lived in Portland, what made you choose Portland?

I've been here about 13 years. Dark Horse is a great publisher and they're here. I had no idea it would become the center of the comic book universe.

DD:   What is your favorite part of Portland?

I really like Hawthorne. Bagdad with cheap movies and beer, Powell's with some of the best people around, multiple coffee shops like Albina, Peets, Fresh Pot...

DD:   Where in Portland/ Oregon would you most like to visit?

I really want to ride the tram. It's an air gondola that goes from the waterside up to a medical center in the Portland hills. I'm sure it has an amazing view.

DD:   Would you like to write/Illustrate for another media?   Or write a character from another media,

I really want to write some mainstream marvel (or DC) comics.

for example, Dr. Who, James Bond?  What would you explore?

Dr Who would be fun. I'd love to write a Son of Satan story. There are some Star Wars stories that would be fun. I maintain that Firefly is a Han Solo Star Wars prequel.

09/22 - Comics Underground

When:   Thursday, September 22 · 8:00pm - 10:30pm

The Jack London Bar

For the second installment of our live! comics! reading! extravaganza!, Comics Underground welcomes another seemingly random but actually exquisitely curated selection of local comics talent.

On deck:

Spellcheckers creative team Jamie S Rich, Joelle Jones, and Nicolas Hitori De

Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Osborn, Supergirl)

Artist Natalie Nourigat (Between Gears, Over the Surface)

Writer Greg Rucka (Stumptown, Whiteout, Queen & Country)

They promise to entertain you*, we promise to plug the appropriate cords into the appropriate projectors, and the bar promises to have some booze in it.

Hope to see you there!

(*okay, no one actually PROMISED to entertain, but we have high hopes for this crew.)

Jedi Lieber

From Ben Dewey

09/28 - SAVAGE SWORD RELEASE PARTY @ TFAW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Elisabeth Forsythe
Things From Another World
503-905-2348 elisabethf@tfaw.com
http://www.tfaw.com

TFAW HOSTS ROBERT E. HOWARD'S SAVAGE SWORD SIGNING 9/28 WITH FOUR LOCAL CREATORS
What: By Crom: A Savage Sword #3 Release Party with Jeremy Barlow, Paul Tobin, Joshua Williamson, and Patric Reynolds
Where: Hollywood TFAW - 4133 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97214
When: Wednesday, September 28 from 7- 10 pm.

September 9, 2011, Portland OR--By CROM! Things From Another World (TFAW) is honoring Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #3, the anthology comic by Dark Horse Comics, with local creators Jeremy Barlow (Kult, Dethklok), Paul Tobin (Spider Island: Spider-Girl, Gingerbread Girl), Joshua Williamson (Uncharted, XenoHolics), and Patric Reynolds (Let Me In, Serenity: Float Out) Wednesday, September 28 at their Portland, OR store from 7-10 pm!

Hoist a tankard of FREE beer and enjoy a feast fit for a BARBARIAN! TFAW will be giving away some cool Howard-themed prizes from Dark Horse Comics, and guests can pose in front of a green screen with Conan-themed props and see the resulting photos at Facebook.com/ThingsFromAnotherWorld!

"I personally am a huge Conan and Robert E. Howard fan, so you'd better believe this will be an excellent celebration," said TFAW's Senior Director of Retail Operations, Andrew McIntire. "Plus, this group of creators is just awesome--they're great guys and incredibly talented. This is going to be fun."

Come to the Hollywood TFAW Wednesday, September 28 from 7-10 pm to purchase your copy of Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #3, meet some amazing local creators, and socialize with the local comics community! Note: you must present a valid ID and be 21+ for beer.

About Things From Another World:
Founded in 1979, Things From Another World is the premier retailer of comic books, toys, collectibles, and pop-culture geek goodness, both in Portland, Oregon and online at http://www.TFAW.com.

About Dark Horse Comics:
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the U.S. and is recognized as one of the world's leading publishers of licensed comics material.